About last night …

You couldn’t hope for a more lovely November day in Montreal.
Bright sunshine.
Temperatures in the low teens.
Young people walking around in tee-shirts and shorts.
Considering what we know is coming in a month or so, this Saturday was a gift from the gods.
Then the sun went down.
And so did the Canadiens.

Rangers goaltender Cam Talbot – making his first start against hockey’s most storied franchise, in the league’s most boisterous arena – could have played the game in a tee shirt and shorts.

That’s how easy Newton’s 22-save shutout was against what could be described as a popgun offence … but that wouldn’t be fair to popguns.

Alex Galchenyuk: No shots on goal, and his one attempt was blocked.

P.K. Subban: No shots on goal, while three were blocked and one missed the net.

Rene Bourque: Zero SoG.

Max Pacioretty had one.

As we sometimes forget in Montreal, there are two teams on the ice.

Credit the Rangers with a superb defensive effort. The Canadiens were continually frustrated in their efforts to find enough time and space to string together some passes and generate offence. They were outskated and outbattled for pucks by the visitors, who have been playing solid, Alain Vigneault-style hockey – even without Rick Nash.

The Rangers had been idle since Tuesday and were well-rested.

The Canadiens won a Shootout in Columbus Friday night, then flew back to Montreal.

And man, as the old joke goes, were their arms ever tired! Not to mention their legs.

The team will play two more Friday-Saturday back-to-backs this month. Both Friday away games are in Washington, and the Saturday home opponents are Pittsburgh on the 23rd and Toronto on the 30th. Carey Price will have to be at least as good as he was against the rangers – and probably better – to hold the Penguins and Leafs to single goals.

You’d start a lively barroom argument by suggesting Price is the best goaltender in the National Hockey League. There would be support for Antti Niemi, Jonathan Quick, the Toronto tandem of Jonathan Bernier and james Reimer, our old friend Jaro Halak …

It’s a long list. But let me restate the assertion:

Carey Price is the best goaltender playing for a team that doesn’t score.

The Canadiens are 20th in NHL scoring. And they save their most galling offensive ineptitude for home ice.

Playing in front of some of the world’s most knowledgeable hockey fans – many of whom are old enough to remember Guy Lafleur and the offensive juggernauts of the 1970s – the Canadiens have scored 29 goals in 12 home games. And 12 of those were in the first three games on Bell Centre ice.

In the nine games since, the Canadiens have averaged 1.89 goals per game. They’ve been shut out on home ice by San Jose and the Rangers, managing just 22 shots on goal in each loss.

This matches their total of goose eggs in 48 games last season – when only one of the shutouts, a 6-0 pasting at the hands of the Leafs – was at the Bell Centre.

People who have never been to a hockey game in Montreal can trust me on this: Fans do not like seeing a big fat 0 beside the fabled CH logo on the scoreboard.

It wouldn’t be so bad if visiting goaltenders were standing on their heads to shut out the locals.

But 22 shots on Talbot? 22 on Niemi?

Trailing by a goal Saturday night, the Canadiens went almost eight minutes into the third period before registering a shot on Talbot. And the one they finally got was a 47-foot wrister from the side boards by Daniel Brière – a shot that would have been stopped in the Timbits game between periods.

Why are your Montreal Canadiens like a short, 50-year-old used car salesman on Crescent St.?

Neither he nor they can score.

In terms of offence, the Canadiens are a one-line team. And when Lars Eller, Brandan Gallagher (who was just getting over the flu) and Alex Galchenyuk are bottled up, as they were against the Rangers, there’s no one to pick up the scoring slack.

Max pacioretty has two goals in 11 games. Rene Bourque has five in 20.

david Desharnais – who I actually thought worked hard and was decent against the Rangers – has yet to score this season.

The Kiddie Corps – Gallagher, Eller, Galchenyuk and Michaël Bournival – have 24 of the 52 goals the Canadiens have scored this season. That’s almost half the team’s scoring, from four guys who aren’t old enough to help with Movember.

The lack of scoring makes for some very boring nights at the Bell Centre. Despite the constant volume-pumping emanating from the PA system, fans are sitting on their hands.

Old-timers miss Guy Lafleur. Young pups miss Mike Cammalleri.

There have been nights when we miss Jacques Martin, whose teams played firewagon hockey compared to the hermetic ho-humery being coached by Michel Therrien.

That just made me pause for thought. Don’t you think that kind of plays into Max’s weak spots? Is this a patented MT “rearing in” where he is teaching Max to play defence? When Max put up almost a ppg last season I was pretty sure he wasn’t given full time PK duties and he was on an offence first line, even though he had to cover for DD a lot on the defensive duties. Now he’s been given PK minutes almost every game and he plays with the Pleks line who are given the role of shut-down line.

The best left winger on the team is being made to compete against the skills of Prust and Moen and Bournival as opposed to letting him play “his game”? Is Pacioretty made to suffer because MT doesn’t want to have to trust Galchenyuk at centre and bring Eller down to the 3rd line (making the top line Max/Chucky/Gally) and exposing DD and Briere as completely useless on this roster (which is odd since it also makes a formidable 3rd line as Prust/Eller/Briere or DD)?

With Emelin back in the line-up, which will probably force MT to split up the Markov-Subban pairing, there shouldn’t be much excuse not to have two solid defence pairings out for 90% of the time the above described 1st line is out on the ice.

The only thing 24CH shows us is that the coach is not very good. I’ve yet to actually see MT motivate a player. In the end that is his biggest responsibility. In fact it is becoming clear that he has become a drag on the players. This team is not yet a contender, but they are better than what they have shown the last third of last year and the beginning of this year. Not sure who to replace him with, but I would probably be talking to Guy Boucher if I was MB.

Don’t disagree Ed, but St. Louis, specifically when Davidson took over, were extremely patient with allowing that team to completely rebuild. Unfortunately I don’t think Montreal, Toronto have as patient a media and fan base.

I really believe that MB knows we are years away from that level, the moves he made this offseason are stop gap. Can we be as patient as those fans were?

We see the results of what they went through now, but were we watching as closely through their tough years?

Montreal it can be argued has been rebuilding for 20 years, but never has a regime in charge actually stuck to a rebuild plan. I can wait 5 years if the team is actually building to something, but i don’t think the fans of Montreal can do this, i really don’t believe the media can.

I think next year we start to add pieces. Don’t get me wrong, I want to see trades this year, but not neccessarily for immediate players. I would like to see players like Gionta, Plex, Diaz used as trade material to bring in good draft picks or blue chip prospects. Next year as the team continues to hopefully improve with Beaulieu/Tinordi then we start making trades like draft picks or prospects for immediate talent.

I just think this year is too soon, as i don’t believe our young core is ready to take that step yet. Even next year may be too soon. Just my opinion or way of looking at it.

Mark, I completely respect you are a very optimistic and supportive fan. But it seems to me that whenever any of us, say the slightest critical comment you criticize those comments?

I try to be as positive and supportive as possible, but I don’t feel it does the Habs any favours to have their behind the scenes exposed. No other teams do this, except the 2 teams in the Winter Classic associated with HBO.

Another poster who is generally a very positive poster and always a gentlemen made a critical comment a while back and you jumped down his throat.

Constant degenerative comments I can understand getting to you, but lets not kid ourselves and think our team is perfect, no team is perfect, just as no humans are perfect. Even our beloved Habs organization makes mistakes.

The team isn’t perfect. Exactly. Which is why they don’t win every game and why they aren’t playing well. The poor play is on the team not some TV show. I agree, the show does no favors for the team, but lots of teams are now doing them. It’s sports entertainment in 2013. But is there any evidence that the show is harming the team? I would argue that booing is likely has harmful as some TV show, should we blame the fans because the Habs can’t generate offense?

It isn’t the same to have fans boo in the stands as it is to have your coach put you down in front of the public. If you want to earn the trust and respect of your players, you do that in private. t this point Pk is probably wondering what he has to do to stop being in Therrien’s dog house. Obviously a Norris Trophy didn’t help! To top if off, Therrien says Price should be in Sochi and basically said Pk would not be.

PK was asked if it was OK air that bit. He gave his blessing. Why is this such a big deal? Stop this doghouse crap, PK is playing between 25-29 minutes a night for weeks now. I’d like to be in that doghouse.

Not a witch hunt, just fans who care looking for answers as to why the Habs seem to struggle so much when other teams are able to weather the storm and keep doing well, or progress faster.

I do not like the Sens, but they were able to keep winning even when they lost Karlsson and Spezza. I for one don’t want to hear,
“how can you expect the Habs to win with the injuries they have”
I expect the so called leaders to step up and the players that get the chance to replace the injured ones to play like they want to stay!

I also expect a coach who can make adjustments. I read earlier that the problem was MT changed to a defensive system to compensate for the injuries. Fair enough, then what is taking him so long to revert to the system he employed when the team was healthy?

Thanks, Cal, for the victory song — you’re a fast and able tunesmith. Well done.
And Burl’, you were on the right track with your link. Here’s the actual clip of me at half-time calling on all Ticat supporters to come to the team’s aid. I knew I could count on them.

Boone’s write up on last nite’s game vs. NYR plus his thoughts on the problems that manifest the Habs are right on.
Personally, I’m old enough to remember the Lafleur days and I’m aware that no NHL team can resemble that dynasty, but wow, there’s no heart here, or make it simple, aside from 31, 76, 49 and EGG line, effort is very weak, in other words, there’s no effin balls.
By the way, I purchased RDS to watch Habs, but I cancelled today. Had enuff!!

I have been chastised by many here because I have said many times that Pleks is not the one to lead this team. Nice to see some folks share my opinion. wold like to see him traded for the haul some think the Habs could get for him at the deadline.

Yes, when will the Habs change the shooting stats to 32 shots on goal, 7 missed the net and 12 were blocked instead of 20 shots on goal, 32 missed the net and 20 were blocked. I have never seen a team miss the net so much! The worst thing is they miss even when they aren’t being pressured!!

Definitely food for thought! How many times do you want to be called out in front of the public? I have run many large operations and never ever called out someone in front of their co-workers and peers. MT was wrong to do it to PK. I’ll bet MB was wringing his hands when he saw that, maybe even threw up in his mouth!

There is a big flaw in Trini’s observation. MB does not go public with such things, We have seen it many times when he tells the media, he does not discuss contracts, etc in the media. Why would he do to MT, what MT did to PK?

We don’t know if he called in MT or not, MB does things the right way behind closed doors! I would guess they had a conversation.
Especially since PK’s agent will probably bring it up when they talk contract!

Saw your comment earlier regarding your father and not ripping individuals. I agree in general, having said that I am not adverse to a coach showing a player what he did wrong, but when is the last time on 24CH we saw MT showing the players what they should be doing, as opposed to only what they shouldn’t be doing?

Maybe, just maybe, they don’t want to give away the teams strategy, but part of me wonders if there is any strategy to be given away.

That was a great win for the Tiger Cats, apparantly at half time, John Bellyfull addressed the Hamilton team with a half time pep talk. Clearly was the difference in the game, Ford addressed the Argo’s at the half with some Crack pot theory on how to win.

See, Burl’, that’s the difference between the Ticats and the Canadiens.
The Ticats LISTEN to me.
Met Ford after the game. He insisted the Argos won and he’s looking forward to going to the Grey Cup. Council might actually pay for the trip. One-way.

Were we ever not? I have no issue disagreeing with people here. That is my frustration with The Dude’s comments. I rarely share his opinion, but he is a long time poster like many others. But he can’t accuse someone of repeating the message over and over.

…ha, talk about being on subject: refreshing the page, and up pops (YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE) Patrick with ‘that look’ …and the caption below: ‘LIVE BLOG; Game 15; Canadiens Limp Home After Lost Week-end’ (in Colorado/Minnesota)

why is it that anti tankers always point to the oilers for reasons why not to tank? However, overlook all the other teams that have pretty much built a competitive team?

i don’t think the habs should tank. however, something does have to change. if this is a 500 team then so be it but there is nothing in the minors that is set to improve this team to a contender. so either you drop low and rebuild or you start moving assets for players that fit your team picture.

But one of the things that definitely must go right is that Cup-winning teams have to go through a period of high draft picks. Just about every Cup winner in the last 15 years has.

Tanking is a necessary but not sufficient condition, however. There’s still room for management to screw that up. Perfect example: Edmonton.

You need to get everything absolutely right: tank, good management, and some luck. Boston, Chicago, LA, and a whole bunch of others followed exactly that path. Detroit looks like counter-example, but their “Dead Things” period, coupled with extremely good long-term planning led to their domination.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can win without tanking. You can try, but your just fighting a losing battle to mediocrity.

Oh, no? Remember, the effect of a tank can last 20+ years. But if you never go through it… it’s kind of like preventing forest fires — you’ll end up with too much kindling for too long.

Let’s start with Boston: After the 3 pretty goo dplayers they got for Scott Thornton, a first overall pick, they got lucky with a lottery 5th overall pick, which ended up being Phil Kessel. That gave them 2 first-rounders from Toronto, one of whom was Tyler Seguin. Remember him in the Bruins’ Cup run? The 2006-7 Bruins were so crummy that their attendance plummeted, scaring the crap out of the league head office.

LA got Drew Doughty in 2008 from tanking the previous year. They weren’t last, but they had some pretty amazing competition. Now, Doughty, didn’t he play a big role in the Cup win?

Tanking plus really smart asset management will give you a good run at a Cup. There’s a 6-year bounce-back from tanking. Chicago played a classic tank-and-win strategy.

What you wrote doesn’t make any sense.
One bad season isn’t tanking. Habs had one, got Galchenyuk. Did they tank? I don’t think so. It was a single bad season when stuff just went wrong. Price was a 5th overall pick, but not a product of tanking.

Besides Doughty, LA Kings key players were not top-5 draft picks. One player like that is almost on every team and this does NOT prove your point.

Thornton didn’t win anything in Boston and was traded away. Kessel was traded away – and it was a single 5th overall pick, hardly a product of Bruins tanking. Sequin was a product of Toronto being terrible, nothing to do with Boston. Again, their core isn’t a bunch of top draft picks – Bergeron, Chara, Lucic, Thomas…

The start of this season illustrates how many things have to go right for a team to have a successful season. This season´s team, at the beginning of the season, was very deep offensively; as deep as last year´s team, plus added the arrival of Bournival who seems to be possibly a quite decent top nine guy in the early going.
Last year, a bunch of question marks surrounding the team turned out to be success stories; Markov recovered, Galchenyuk and Gallagher became impact players (Gallagher especially was unexpected), Eller took the next step, Gionta recovered, Emelin progressed, plus basically nobody had a terrible year.
This year, we didn´t have as many question marks, but we have been hit hard by injuries; furthermore, Desharnais counted on as a sure contributor, has not contributed…..And dare I say it, the jury is still out, but we better hope that Gio´s recent lack of productivity does not mean what we all fear it could mean. Briere, who was a gamble, seems to be done.
The really good teams have so much depth that they are able to compensate for the things which inevitably go wrong in any given season.
The team is now healthy, the D is playing better than expected and will be given a boost by Emelin, Markov is playing better than last year, Price is playing very well. However we need to have a productive third centre; without one, the wingers will not produce.
We have a talented team but are not so deep that we can have a good season with only two decent lines.
Last night, DD was working hard and quite visible, but he also flubbed a couple of easy chances. Max Pac and Bourque cannot compensate for him. In the end we lost by one goal, so the math is easy to do.
We need to solve the situation at centre. It would be a great happy ending if DD finds his game and regains confidence, but otherwise we need to address it before the season flies by.

I get that teams, the Habs included, have off games. It baffles me how they Habs have so many if these off games where the players with the size and speed stay in the soft areas and don’t drive the net.
Especially since they know they have success when they do!

When Gallagher and Briere are the only ones driving the net and playing in the tough areas, something is wrong. Gionta, who is supposed to bring experience and leadership. twice threw the puck up the middle to no one when he was behind the opposition net.

It is hard to understand. Injuries not withstanding, players should not “forget” what they need to do. Other teams are able to keep on playing well with injuries, why not the Habs? Is that on MT?

Shameful for the rest. I remember Latendresse had the same problem. Didn’t want to go to the net for a big guy. I remember Carbo wanted his butt in front of the net to screen…..end result, never did it. Thus, traded for another washed up player.

I’d be happy to see the Riders as the Ticats’ opponent, Front’, and a game as exciting as the last time the two met for the championship, just as long as it’s the Ticats who prevail. That 43-40 loss in 1989 still hurts.

i think it’s both. if everyone is worries about back checking and being safe, well it’s going to be hard to score. we need more aggressive fore check in my opinion. if you’re going to dump send in two on the other side to over load the puck. Add to that we don’t get that many people to the net to create traffic and you create your own slump

It´s probably a weird slump, but aided by A)perhaps Max Pac not being fully healthy, B) DD having no confidence, and, C) worryingly, because if his age, Gionta has been quiet for a while now.
A will get better, C I would say more likely than not will still contribute, (but he´s not a lock anymore), but B I have a bad feeling about!
So i think the team will start playing better hockey soon, but if we don´t have three centres going, they won´t be near as good a regular season team as last year´s team.
MT. Chucky at centre. Think about it. Think about it alot.

Injuries, no injuries, Pacs is on a short leash s far as I am concerned, If he doesn’t soon become a dominant player on this team, then not only how long do we wait, but the more important question to me would be why are we waiting,,,,,either start showing what you have, or maybe then you don’t have it,,,there is a waste of 4-5 years development

I’m going to suggest after seeing the Rangers’ block every outlet pass, and clog up all the passing lanes, AND forecheck as hard as they did, that Vigneault prepared his team, and MT did not. Even after intermissions, the Habs had no reply . Agreed the team is slumping, but when your latest goal comes from DD in a shootout…..

One of the most boring games of the season last night. At least when JM was doing that boring sh#t, Kirk would tap Staubitz on the shoulder.He would jump over the boards, drop his Mitts and start wailing on some poor bugger. A real crowd pleaser and now he is a Leaf? WTF!

Watching Patches last night, I have to wonder about his hockey sense. He does make some very questionable passes. The not driving the net, using his speed and size may be from coming back to soon from his injuries. He skates with one hand on the stick too much and as a result, is not ready when he receives a pass or forces a turn over. he also over plays on the forecheck and when he makes contact, is off balance. This is not to dis him, just pointing out what I observed over the last few games. MT should sit him so he can get a rest and see what is happening on the ice, think about his game.

And what? We’ll lose games 3-0 instead of 1-0? No one should be above getting a wake up call. Brutal? Pacioretty’s game has been brutal. Along with Bourgue, DD and Briére. Look at it this way, Parros isn’t doing much worse in the scoring department and they’re doing pretty much zilch in the hitting department. Whaddyagonnado? Abide?

There is no crying in baseball, “i” in team or “chuck” in Galchenyuk but … there is fighting in hockey.

What has be done with his speed and skill? Not much! Bourque Bournival and Prust can play the top 3 left wing spots for two games.
Bring LeBlanc back up to play the right side! Bournival is fast, smart and plays with energy.

People seriously worry too much. Habs are hanging in there, three points out of 2nd in the East, despite barely scoring any goals ever. That can’t keep up. When they start potting ’em, the points will rack up. Meanwhile, we have great goaltending and terrific young players. Things aren’t so bad. If we can get to December in a playoff spot in a playoff spot we’ve got an 80% chance of getting into the dance.

Bill ….no doubt you’ve been repeating the same sentence ‘with minor adjustments’for 20 years and I know you don’t care about winning as long as it’s entertaining …As well I know you think a fan should just be a fan regardless of the outcome, but come on man….this must be hard on you as well after all these years?

So I’m looking for the 2003 Oliers-Habs Alumni rosters which I still can’t find, but I stumbled upon this comment from people who were talking about that game that day>

“Wtf was up on that Staios goal where Smyth ran over Theodore (actually ran Brisebois into Theodore , but still a penalty) , did we defend Theodore? nope , again we didnt.

“Other teams take way to many liberties with the habs , and we just let them get away with it.

Man I’d love to see Komisarek called up… Gainey better deal one of our Rd’s (probably Rivet) for a forward as its been rumoured , so we can callup Komisarek… Plus get Bouillon out of the damn lineup and put Hainey in!”

This person in the end said he was happy we won, but its funny how familiar this all sounds. We still have the same complaints, just with different players although the Cube is involved here too haha!

Instead of having a collective emotional collapse, shouldn’t we have some fun at Dion’s expense?

———————————————————————–… you know, because there’s no way hundreds of overcompetitive stars with massive egos would ever cheat to gain an edge with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.–Bill Simmons

MaxPac is a lot short of amazing. His low rate of success can be linked to where he is shooting from. Like the Rangers last night, you’re not going to score very often from the outside with no one in front of the net.
MaxPac again comes back too early from an injury and his results show it. If he isn’t scoring, he’s not that good. He’s not very physical either.
In the end, he’s going to be like Ryder. Shooting from everywhere with a few ill-timed passes that don’t go anywhere near his teammates.

Watching Patches last night, I have to wonder about his hockey sense. He does make some very questionable passes. The not driving the net, using his speed and size may be from coming back to soon from his injuries. He skates with one hand on the stick too much and as a result, is not ready when he receives a pass or forces a turn over. he also over plays on the forecheck and when he makes contact, is off balance. This is not to dis him, just pointing out what I observed over the last few games.

So in summary if Habs cannot score 5 on 5 and do not capitalize on the PP, then they are doomed. MB did not replace the goal output of Ryder. Briere goal output has been on the decline and with his concussion history was not a suitable replacement.

Coaching:

1. Preparedness to play – average
2. Good line combination – average
3. Player utilization – poor – Subban’s TOI is up but prior to that
4. Player management – poor – putting Parros on after opponent score a goal
5. Game plan – poor
6. Out coaching opponents coach – poor
7. Motivator – average
8. Supporting the right players – poor
9. Changing game plan during game – poor

There you have it. MT is not a suitable NHL coach. He overplays old vets and give more ice time to unproductive players, always being out coached and never supporting his players 100 percent. It is pretty easy to see whatever act he is performing is not working anymore.

GM

1. Putting the best team on the ice – average
2. Putting the right staff in place – average
3. Developing drafted players – average – no one is ready for the next level except Bournival
4. Making sound moves – poor – DD contract, Briere, Parros, Murray are small bandage moves that is counterproductive to what MB has been preaching.

With MB, there is a celebrity presence about him, very funny and likeable person but once again he doesn’t have a whole lot of experience. But I guess he was the best person for the job that was bilingual. I now he is saying all the right things but some moves have been questionable and counterproductive. I have to say after so many GM’s have come and gone that MB will not be here when the Habs will finally be a contender again. I know it is early but my gut feeling is a no.

we can’t have 3 guys on d like georges, diaz & bouillon. you’re never going far with soft guys on d. murray will be a stud in the playoffs when frontier justice rears its head again. diaz & georges should only play until the prospects are ready.
why did we stop aggressive forechecking? geez we’re playing boring hockey. they exit their zone with ease & we get outmuscled in ours with their d pinching on every predictable clearing attempt up the boards. since when is that part of a speed game? if we’re gonna do that, we need some studs on the wings to win some battles. we can’t have 1/3 of our forwards being smurfs.
therrien strikes me as wooden & awkward. maybe players don’t have to like the coach. coaches should at least play to the strengths of their players. that’s not happening.

You can always tell the guys who hate Josh, they don’t even have the decency to spell his name right. He is one of the longest running Habs , yet some fans refuse to pay attention to the fact it says Gorges on the back of his sweater.
Now to try and reply to your comment. The Habs lost 1-0 last night, can you explain how that can be attributed to 3 “soft” DMen?

a) We have to get rid of that looooong outlet pass. It doesn’t work. The times it doesn’t get intercepted, it is so hard that it’s difficult to handle. Even when the forward manages to corral the pass, they are at a standstill at the opposition’s blue-line, and by the time they get a bit of speed up, all the back-checkers have caught up.

I loved most of last year. We were starting plays in our own zone; playing the puck out, building up attacks from deep in our own zone, getting the puck out in three crisp passes. We were being praised by all the other teams in the East for our transition game. We were looking positively Detroitian.

That’s all gone now, and we’re icing the puck and trying these pointless hail-marys. The reason, I believe, has something to do with

2) Our season started off great, but then we got a ton of injuries which forced us to play defensive hockey, and now we can’t get back into the attacking mindset.

It’s like a team that takes a raft of 1st-period minor penalties after starting a game strong. Takes the wind out of their sails, gets them into a defense-first mindset, and then they struggle for the rest of the game to recapture that early form.

I believe that’s what happened with us. We scored 12 goals in our first 3 games, then dried up as the injuries came on, as we were forced to be more conservative in our approach due to the defensive inexperience of our Hamiltonians.

Will we be able to regain our scoring touch and shake off the torpor of our thrust-upon-us defensive style? I think we will, it will just take a little while. Good thing it’s not last season, in that regard. The coaches need to bring back that excitement and explosiveness, and get the forwards competing to put the puck in the net.

That is why I don’t believe MT is a good long term coach for the Habs, That change back should not take this long. The better coaches make these adjustments more quickly and seamlessly.
MT was out coached by Maclean in the playoffs and did not have an answer for it.

Last year was a mirage. Gally and Chucky surprise many teams. Team were surprise by their skill level. But success one year is not guarantee to repeat unless the team has a support cast that can score. This year other teams have a strategy to neutralize the EGG line. They just keep them to the outside and HIT Gallagher every time there is an opportunity. That is why it is harder for them to score this year. Without two lines going, the EGG line will be the line the other teams will be keying in on. Also, I notice the game plan of the other teams is to fore check hard with 3 guys and have their D support and pinch in when needed. This has resulted in the Habs being hemmed in for 30 to 40 seconds causing Habs smaller D to extend extra energy in the corners and boards

At this point, I am not sure trades are the way to go. I do think, no matter where the Habs sit at the trade deadline, if there is a market for Gionta, DD, and Gorges. Perhaps Bourque or Moen, B should do Like Murray did with the Sens when they moved Fisher and a couple of other players. I would add Markov, although the way he is playing, if he would take a 2 year deal at $4 million per season, his smarts would be good on the power play and 3rd pairing.

If MB could get some picks or prospects, he could let LeBlanc and Bournival play with Pleks, Briere play with Patches and Prust.
The kid line, then Moen, Dumont and White(Parros)

Then MB could add some other free agents to fill gaps next season if Beaulieu, Tinordi and Pateryn still aren’t ready.

I am starting to get concerned that Patches is turning into another Brian Savage!

Boullion and Murray will be gone too to make room for the kids that are ready. If Nygren is doing really well, maybe Diaz could be moved too!

Because he doesn’t have the ability to adjust when necessary!
Also, he is holding Subban back and as much as PK may not have been the most loved player in the room, his team mates know what he brings and they may be taking exception to his handling by MT!
He I not following his mantra that you earn your time, Some vets have been less than stellar and they have not met with the same consequences as Eller did. They keep getting ice time and big minutes.

Probably tired of playing a system that does not suit the team. A good coach would adapt the system or systems to best suit his players.

Examples:
Habs defense is not aggressive and I do not mean physically. Other teams gain the zone EASILY because they are NEVER challenged at the blue line… non-aggressive defense like that leads to a lot of D-zone time and shots on net

Once in the D-zone all Habs players collapse to the net, hence a lot of blocked shots and again D-zone time. Habs wingers hardly ever cover the point man (old time hockey sense) so point men get a lot of shots and pinch easily.

Not a fan of Therrien ,but this is on the Players!Our Veterans are a mishmash collage of the semi-retired and over paid lil fellows and rejects of the League,whom other teams cherish playing for practice purposes. Our Montreal Canadiens are a JOKE and have been for 20 years +….Tear it down and Rebuild a Stanley Cup Winner,that’s your fk’n job M.B.!

Demonize Therrien all you want (I don’t mind, I never liked him anyway). But the basic problem is simple: four of our top-9 forwards – Desharnais, Briere, Pacioretty, and Bourque – are absolutely stinking out the joint. On a team build to roll three lines, that is absolutely fatal. It is not Therrien’s fault that these veteran guys are blowing chunks. The responsibility lies with the players themselves, and perhaps with the GM for thinking they could be relied on. Nor is there any easy answer. Until those guys start playing better, this team will have a devil of a time scoring and winning games. Period.

I agree cuc but MT shares the responsibilities in motivating the troops to play. My guess is that he used up his limited one liners he got from a bottle cap and the team is not responding to the same rehash.

Well, Therrien always was on limited time, and I predicted he would have a great first year followed by diminishing returns and a firing in Year Three of his tenure (so far he is right on schedule). But blaming him because Briere, DD, Bourque and Patches are playing like dogs is just confusing cause and effect. Bourque has always been a coach-killer, Briere is a broken-down has-been trying to find his form on a new team, Pacioretty is probably playing hurt, and Desharnais is Desharnais. It’s not like Therrien can feed them some sort of magical Play Better Potion.

Not blaming MT, just stating that it is part of a coach’s job to get all his players to buy in to the system and to motivate his players. He got dealt the hand given to him but he has to evaluate, manage and utilize the players to the best of their abilities. It’s like at work. Do you want a boss that utilize your abilities and gives you the freedom and motivation to complete whatever comes your way?

It’s absolutely Therrien’s fault. He’s a loser at his postgame pressers & even a bigger one in the locker room I’m sure. A terrible hire from the beginning. I’ve said all along that Bob Gainey screwed Guy Carbonneau royally when he fired him. If Bergevin is a smart hockey person(the jury is still out on that one) he should’ve rehired Carbo. He’s a winner, a proud Hab and the right fit for this organization. Damn you Bob Gainey.

That is what Brian Wilde and Arpon Basu are talking about on Twitter . . . further suggesting that if he is indeed hurting (as it appears to be) then since it is only November, stop playing him until he is okay . . . otherwise (this is my take) he will appear to be just another big but very weak forward who is out collecting a few million dollars for very little production . . . but I will end this now, before I start to ramble about the money that these guys make being so so so so VERY out of sync with society . . . geez . . .

want to know why this team can’t score? all the damn coach cares about is blocking shots. when the habs block shots the puck usually stays in their zone, leading to more puck possession for the opposing team.

We need better puck moving defence men. not saying they have to be like subban or markov but if all you can do it rim it around the boards or go off the glass and out you’re not helping the team score, just creating more chances for the other team due to possession.

The D however is doing a good job forcing shots to the outside and cutting down the angles when they are in close to allow for price to make some save with his big frame. Price is really on his game now and i just feel they are wasting it right now. keeping up this pace with the amount of shots being directed towards him will eventually tire him down. it’s going to be a very long season for price and physically demanding as the season goes on; especially with the olympics coming up. i’m really thinking they’ll have to use budaj more often this year so we don’t burn him out in a compressed schedule

that’s it.. nowadays you can’t expect only the forwards to generate offense. we don’t have anybody on our team who is a super star and can create offense from nothing.
So if markov and subban aren’t on the ice, the forwards are pretty much playing 5-3. gorges, boullion, diaz and murray have not been able to provide any offense whatsoever.
they either throw the puck behind the net, miss by a mile, or take a shot that can be blocked without shin pads.
hoepfully emelin’s return will alleviate this a bit, but to generate offense you need help from your d-men

they do pinch quiet a bit, however they are freaking bad at it.
When you have to battle along the boards and be faster to keep the puck in do you really want gorges, boullion or diaz doing that?
btw i think Gorges can be very useful in a PK and shutdown role, not dumping on the guy

This team needs a big overhaul. Habs need to dump the veterans on this team. Use them as trade bait and get some picks back or something. We are going nowhere this year even if Price plays amazing.

Gionta can be had for a 2nd round pick and a mediocre prospect.
Bourque can get you a 3rd round pick.
Markov will land you a 1st round pick and a solid prospect.
Moen will get you a 4th rounder.
Briere for a 2nd rounder.
Plekanec for a 1st rounder and a good prospect.
Deharnais to waivers and hope some one picks him up

Show me an NHL general manager who’d trade a first-round draft choice for either Markov or Plekanec – let alone a second-rounder for Brière – and I’ll show you an imminently unemployed GM.
Too bad Rejean Houle isn’t making anyone’s player personnel decisions.
I hate to be harsh, man, but let’s get real here.

Last night after the fight I said if they award it on points then Hendricks wins if they award it based on they don’t take away a title unless the champ gets knocked out they give it to GSP. Hendricks clearly won but it was an eked out victory. Surprised to see it go the full 5 rounds though.

If the kids can score, the vets can too. The Habs actually have really good depth scoring, so I tend to junk they are just in a bit of a slump. Ok, it’s a long slump, but I still say it’ll even out soon. Knocked wood.

The problem with our veteran “goal scorers” is that they can’t create their own chance. Guys like Bourque, Pacioretty, Gionta, need to be given the puck on a silver platter and habe overall are a lousy passing team.

A good friend of mine who follows more teams than just the Habs e-mailed the day of the Cammy/Bourque trade to tell me we got hosed. Bourque plays 10 good games then floats for 10. Looks like he was right.

Reway is a point machine and Mike McCarron with 2 G last night….Even Collberg scored yesterday WTF? Vail continues to work hard…3 point night, Thrower 1G 1A. The cupboard is stocked fairly well boys (and gals).

You can’t win if you don’t score and now that our opponents closely watch our young talent there is no one left on the team that can score. Deep trouble in this area!!!!
PK is in a funk and I attribute that to the coach. MT’s managing of the line changes and combinations is AHL quality and the sooner he departs the better.
DD…………useless
Briere……..past his prime
Boullion…..past his prime
Diaz……….useless
Bourque…..big body but basically useless
Moen………big body but basically useless
Patches…..big body but can’t score
White……..useless
Murray……big body but basically useless
Gionta…….past his prime
Gee I’m running out of players….lt’s going to be a long 5 years!!!!

Things change quickly..bums can become heros and new blood can re-energize even the most morose line-ups. Emelin will make a big difference soon to keep this year’s edition a float. New crop coming to replace aging vets next year. We’ve got the league right where we want it! MWWWAAAHHHaaa!

The Leafs are in town on November 30.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford might finally accede to people’s wishes and take some time off. There are rumours he might accompany the Laffs to Montreal and take in the game. He should be easy to spot,as he’ll be seated in the smoke filled section.

You know the line in the simpsons by Hans Moleman “You took four minutes of my life and I want them back.”

To many games this season have been like that, losing sucks, but if its at least an enjoyable game you can appreciate that. Even some of the wins this year have been dull, what ever this teams strategy is, it isn’t working anymore.

Ford is a buffoon but it’s mostly self destruction. Trudeau will legalize what he’s doing if given a chance and Layton gets rub and tugs from under aged Asian girls and was almost sainted upon his death. I guess it just depends, eh?

There is no crying in baseball, “i” in team or “chuck” in Galchenyuk but … there is fighting in hockey.

As good as we are at it (at least we have one positive) the league needs to do something about shot blocking to improve the game and increase offense. No one other than the goaltender should be allowed to leave his feet to block a shot. Like billiards, forwards and defencemen must have one foot on the ice at all times. Personally, I’m sick of this new NHL and a wall of players lying in front of shooters. Who wants that? Coaching not to lose is a huge problem in the league.

There is no crying in baseball, “i” in team or “chuck” in Galchenyuk but … there is fighting in hockey.

The Rangers are very good at that.They get so many sticks and bodies in front of the shots and block the passing lanes near the net also.They play a boring style and a lot of teams are starting to play like this.It certainly slows the game down and makes it boring and frustrating. Combine this with bigger players and many games look like they are being played on mud.

I know there is work to do now that all are healthy but last night was doomed from the start. Jinxed!
All I heard all day and into the game is how the NYR had not won in MTL and how Price has shut them out 4 straight times, blah blah blah.

It’s time for MT to buckle up, put players pride aside and play the guys who are willing to work hard and produce.
The big guys have to play like Gally (who should not have played last night)
Put in Parros, White, Murray when we need them and sit Gionta, Davey and Diaz. Bring up Tinordi, Beaulieu and Pateryn to replace Frankie from time to time.
Do something looking forward instead of standing pat. I don’t mean a desperate trade attempt. I mean using the guys we have with an eye to the future.
If the loses are going to come, let them not be in vein.

This is my problem with posters who come on and tell me that MT’s coaching and attitude towards P.K is not a factor.
Maybe Bill can use his psychology expertise to explain to me why I am getting a little uneasy when a coach who has been with a player for over a year now can only refer to that player as a “thoroughbred… and hasn’t moved on from that description or used it for any other of his charges..

Come on and tell me that MT is absolutely right and his methods are the best. I don’t have any hockey wisdom to categorically say you are wrong. But don’t tell me that MT’s methods are not affecting the play and development of PK AND OTHERS. I will agree to disagree if you tell me it’s all for the good. But don’t come with fatuous denials.

Yeah, MT is affecting PK and our young players – in a GOOD way.
I don’t get why people keep getting their knickers in a twist over this non-issue.

Look, PK is an amazing player with great talent, and he is one of the best D in the league, no doubt. But under MT he has learned to reign in his game a bit and play with more discipline and less impulse. He won the Norris partly because his defensive game was taken to the next level and he reduced the amount of mistakes he makes, and that is attributable to MT. You see when PK rushes the puck sometimes, it looks great and it’s exciting, but a lot of the time it unfortunately results in a turnover or a lost puck. Maybe we need more guys that can finish that play, but sometimes PK goes on the rush and holds on too the puck too long – he is still learning and MT is helping him out.
I wouldn’t worry about him not throwing any big hits lately, why do we insist on jumping to conclusions from 5 games?

MT is also helping the EGG’s develop quite well. He’s here because he is good with young players, unlike JM.

trini, about the “thoroughbred” quote, I’m convinced that Michel Therrien heard someone else say it and adopted it shortly after. It stuck. I don’t think it has any more meaning than that. His vocabulary is pretty limited in French, and even more in English. It’s not like he had hundreds of nouns and adjectives at his disposal and carefully selected this term to demean P.K. or send a message.

At best, he heard the term, knew what it meant, thought “Yeah, spirited, fast, energetic, sometimes high-strung, that’s a good analogy” and repeated it. It doesn’t even have a French equivalent. You can say about someone, usually an athlete or model or someone like that, that he is ‘un pur-sang’, but it’s not commonly used, certainly not by Quebecers speaking in joual.

Sometimes an expression means something different in English than in French. For example, if you want to say someone is agile, you might say he’s “un vrai singe”, a ‘real monkey’. Whereas it’s a compliment in French, it’s never a positive in English. But this isn’t the case with thoroughbred, it’s rarely used in both languages, but means the same colloquially when it’s used.

So in my mind, there’s no ill-intended undertone to his use of that word.

I vehemently disagree. When you take ALL (I repeat and I dare you to make a list of ALL including the GOOD) MT’s remarks about P.K..including andalso compare his remarks re ANY OTHER PLAYER on this team (I repeat ANY OTHER PLAYER); and then you come back to me.

But let’s grant your point of view as completely the full picture. Doesn’t it then say something about MT’s lack of a developed ability to monitor his language and message.

As for your ‘excuse’ re his ‘limited’ language skills (which you have used before there is no kind way I can write a response. So I will simply say I reject it.

MT understood the difference between English and French well enough that he insisted on being called Michael in Pittsburgh.

Not an excuse trini, as I’ve written before, I’m not great fan of Michel Therrien, but I am trying to be objective. I do think he gets his message across, he has to to succeed as a coach at this level, but it’s not because he’s a wordsmith, a scholar.

Is he hard on P.K., does he try to rein him in, to discipline him? Assuredly. But I don’t think it goes beyond that. I’ve posted how some players react better to the carrot than to the stick, how someone who is more subdued like David Desharnais needs a pat on the back more than anything, whereas an outsized personality like P.K. needs to be brought down to earth sometimes. I think that’s where a lot of the controversy originates, it’s not a case of unequal treatment based on personal bias.

Scoring is a problem for many teams in the NHL..For the Habs it is not a suprise that they are having trouble scoring goals….Hab forwards need help from the d to score 5/5…The only d that can help is PK,Markov and maybe Diaz.. but they seemed to be restrained in what they are allowed to do for most of the game…Moen,white and Parros are players that score you 2-3 goals over 82 games ..Plecks,Gion and Borque score goals in 2/3 games that may even have an empty netter included but than they dont produce for 7-8 games…they also generate too few chances …Bournival has played well but the reality is he has scored on most of his scoring chances and he generates minimal scoring chances a game…Prust is a 8 goal a season scorer…DD generates no production and Maxpac is struggling and Briere looks done….The EGG line generates lots of chances and that is why they are the leading scorers for the Habs but they need to generate lot of chances because they are not the sniper type finishers….